New York State of Mind
by Doublemint Mystique
Summary: AU. 16-year-old city girl Rory meets private school-goer Jess when she is forced to move to Stars Hollow. R/J, with some L/L thrown in too.
1. One 1 One

Title: NY State of Mind  
  
Author: Doublemint Mystique  
  
Rating: PG  
  
Summary: AU. 16-year-old city girl Rory meets private-schooler Jess when she's forced to move to Stars Hollow.  
  
Pairing: R/J  
  
Comments: celticrockstar@bolt.com  
  
Disclaimer: I own the story, nothing else.  
  
  
Chapter One   
  
"We're going *where*?" Rory said, raising her voice a few decibels as her eyes opened wide.  
  
"Stars Hollow. It's in Connecticut," Lorelai answered, and she flipped though the phone book to find the nearest U-Haul.  
  
"Wait, you can't just expect me to pick up and move to a town I've never even heard of," Rory protested, crossing her arms in front of her.  
  
"There are a lot of towns you haven't heard of."  
  
"But what about Lane?"  
  
"Oh, see, there's this new thing called the phone."  
  
Rory rolled her eyes. "I'm not going anywhere," she retorted.  
  
"Oh, no? Well, those boxes I put in your room are going to be *very* disappointed to hear you say that."  
  
Rory groaned loudly, and stomped away, slamming the door to her room with emphasis.  
  
Lorelai followed her through the apartment and shouted through the closed door. "Hey, listen, I'll let you in on a little something. I'm not excited about moving either. But there are some things in life you just have to do, and, well, this is one of them. So you *will* pack those boxes, and have it done by Saturday. If not, then the people that move in after us will be damn pleased they have a pink fuzzy clock and lava lamp!"  
  
"Go to hell!" Rory yelled, and cranked up her music to the highest level. She shifted position on her featherbed, and stared at her wall calendar. Saturday was five days away. She'd figure something out by then.  
  
********  
  
"But what about Lane?" Rory attempted again, as a last stab before they closed both the car door and the city chapter of her life.  
  
"You know, that telephone I told you about works wonders," Lorelai said curtly.   
  
They both stuck their coffee mugs in the cup holders, and sighed heavily. Rory wiped away the condensation on her window to look out at the city. She wondered if the magnificent skyline could be seen on a clear night in this Stars Hollow she was moving to.  
  
Lorelai looked over at her daughter, and the anger she felt melted away. "Rory, I know you're upset about moving. I know you'll miss your friends, and the city--"  
  
"Mom, reminding someone of what they'll be missing isn't the best way to cheer them up."  
  
Donning a sheepish grin, the elder Gilmore continued, "But I've gotten to the point in my life where I need space. And this job will open up so many opportunities. I'll have more time off--"  
  
"To spend with my only daughter. And we'll have a house, Rory, a real house..." Rory interrupted, mocking her mother. "I know, Mom, I've heard you say all of this a hundred times in the last four days."  
  
"Then you also know how much it means to me. Running an inn, Rory. Me, I'll be running it, all by myself," Lorelai said proudly.  
  
"Lorelai Gilmore, running an inn all by herself. God help us all."  
  
"Oh, come on, Rory, cut me some slack. I raised a daughter all by myself, didn't I?"  
  
"Mom, you do know that putting copies of Cosmopolitan in each of the rooms won't be considered 'running an inn'. It involves doing actual work," Rory responded with air quotes.  
  
Lorelai's face turned to one of mock surprise. "Really? Quick, get that 'How to Actually Work for Dummies' book out of the backseat and read me the preface," she answered sarcastically. "Of course, I wouldn't be able to read it myself. No, no, that would be actual working."  
  
"Ok, I get the point," Rory said, as the corners of her mouth turned up slightly. Determined to look miserable for the duration of the trip, she quickly turned back to the window.  
  
"You'll love Stars Hollow, I promise," Lorelai told her daughter.   
  
"Hmmph."  
  
"Rory, at least give it a chance. You haven't even been there yet."  
  
"Neither have you. How can you be so sure I'm going to like it? They're a trillion miles from a subway *and* they won't have good bagels."  
  
"How can you be so sure?"  
  
"Because Stars Hollow isn't New York," Rory grumbled.  
  
"They have a stoplight," Lorelai rebounded.  
  
Rory raised her eyebrows, "A stoplight? As in, just one? Wow, can you say "Score"?"  
  
"Listen, I know it's going to be a big change, but you'll adjust. Who knows, maybe you'll become a pigtail-wearing small-town girl and actually like it."  
  
"Fat chance," Rory retorted. "What the hell have you gotten us into?"  
  
"I told you--"  
  
"It was a rhetorical question, Mom," Rory said, annoyed.   
  
"I promise, hun, you'll get used to it," Lorelai attempted once again to convince her.  
  
"You know, as much as I'm enjoying this mother-daughter conversation, I'd much rather enjoy getting my last views of the city before it's too late."  
  
"Yeah, sure, go ahead," Lorelai answered, defeat ringing through her voice.  
  
Lorelai flicked on the car radio, and found a local college radio station. They were in the middle of a Bangles block, and she turned it up high. With a huff, Rory ripped her cd player out of the backpack that lay at her feet. Clicking her PJ Harvey in, she set it at the highest volume.  
  
With the sounds of "Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea" drowning out "Walk Like an Egyptian", Lorelai emphatically turned her music up a little louder.   
  
"Could you possibly turn that down a little?" Rory asked.  
  
"What?" Lorelai yelled, knowing full well what the question was.  
  
Rory went to turn off the radio, and in the process dropped her cd player onto the floor. When she picked it up, she said pointedly, "I said, would you *please* turn the music down a bit?"  
  
"Well, you've already taken care of that, haven't you? And with such grace."  
  
Rory made a face, and Lorelai responded to it with, "Watch it. What if your face stayed like that, and you ended up like the kid on the oatmeal box?"  
  
"Once again--"  
  
"Oh, yes, that's right. It's feeling-sorry-for-myself time. My mistake."  
  
********  
  
Some time later, Lorelai stopped the car. Rory woke up from her nap, and found a big building in front of them.  
  
"Wow, that's a big house. Who does it belong to, the mayor?"  
  
"No, that's *our* house. Isn't it gorgeous?"  
  
"Yeah, sure," Rory responded. "Uh, maybe you should park in *our* driveway then."  
  
"Oh, right! Wow, driveways, big houses, this is going to take a lot of getting used to."  
  
They walked up the path to the front door. Attached to the knob, they found a note.  
  
Dear Lorelai and Rory,  
Welcome to Stars Hollow!!! I hope you like it here!!! I've packed some food in the fridge for your first couple of days!!! See you at the inn!!!  
-Sookie  
  
"Wow, thats a *lot* of exclamation points," Lorelai said, eyes wide.  
  
"Boy, this Sookie is a perky one, ain't she?" Rory contributed, and Lorelai nodded in agreement. "Sookie? What kind of name is that? And why was she in our house?"  
  
Lorelai didn't answer, but instead opened the door and headed inside.  
  
"Wow," was all she could say.  
  
"What?" Rory asked, appearing next to her.  
  
"This house. It's...big," Lorelai answered, at a loss for a better, more sophisticated synonym.  
  
"Big? It's gigantic," replied Rory. "My god, the living room is bigger than half our apartment."  
  
"Look, stairs! In our house!" Lorelai squealed, and ran up and down the last steps a few times and then disappeared into another room.   
  
"Yeah, Mom, it's perfect," Rory said, suddenly sounding upset. "It's only missing one thing."  
  
"What would that be?" Lorelai asked as she emerged from the kitchen with a big bag of chocolate chips. "I think I'm gonna like this Sookie chic."  
  
"Where's our stuff? Didn't you say it would be here by the time we got here?"   
  
"I did say that, didn't I? Hmm, I'll just call the movers and see whats going on," Lorelai said.  
  
She picked up a phone that was resting on the nearest end table. "Well," she said, "At least the phone company was here on time". She then hung up, and went to find her purse.   
  
"Ah-hah!" she said as she uncovered an index card at the bottom of her bag.  
  
"Mom, the number is written in lipstick," Rory pointed out.  
  
"Yeah, well, I didn't have a pen."  
  
Lorelai dialed the number, and when a man picked up on the other end, she said,  
  
"Hi, this is Lorelai Gilmore. I just moved from New York City to Stars Hollow, Connecticut, but my stuff seems to have a case of moving jitters. Is there any possible way to--Thank you very much," she paused.   
  
"Texas? No, no Stars Hollow *Connecticut*. I specifically--Thank you," she paused once again.  
  
"How many days? Oh," she replied. "Well, then I'm assuming there will be no charge--Of course."  
  
She hung up, and Rory asked, "What's the verdict?"  
  
"Our stuff was sent to Texas. It'll be here in three or four days."  
  
"Three or four *days*? What do we do 'til then?"  
  
Lorelai grimaced, and then said, "Eat some chocolate chips?" 


	2. Two 2 Two

Title: NY State of Mind  
  
Author: Doublemint Mystique  
  
Rating: PG  
  
Summary: AU. 16-year-old city girl Rory meets private-schooler Jess when she's forced to move to Stars Hollow.  
  
Pairing: R/J  
  
Comments: celticrockstar@bolt.com  
  
Disclaimer: I own the story, nothing else.  
  
  
Chapter Two  
  
The bell rang, and the two girls instinctively bolted to the door. It had been five days, and the moving company still hadn't come with their stuff. Even though they had gone to Hartford to buy some clothes, they were still anxious to put on their own, worn-in-just-the-right-spot jeans and shoes.  
  
Lorelai opened the door, and saw two large trucks parked in the driveway. "It's here!" she squealed.  
  
"Hello, uh..." Lorelai started speaking to the burly man in front of her, and then paused, searching for a name tag of some sort.  
  
"Chet," he contributed, and handed her a clipboard. "Now, if you'll just sign here," he said, pointing to the bottom of the first page.  
  
"Ok, Chet," Lorelai wrote out her signature with a flourish. As an afterthought, she said, "What exactly did I just sign?"  
  
"Just a piece of paper stating that you received your belongings," he replied, taking the clipboard back.  
  
"And what about the mix-up--" she began, and he cut her off.  
  
"You know, they just tell us where to go, and we go..." he said, looking for a scapegoat. "But you haven't been charged for the extra mileage".  
  
"I was told we wouldn't have to pay for..." she protested, and then shook her head. "You know what? Don't worry about it. Just start bringing in those boxes!"  
  
"Yes, ma'am," Chet answered, and then gave a whistle. On cue, three other men emerged from the trucks, and began to transport each box into the foyer.  
  
********  
  
A while later, all of the furniture and cartons had been unloaded from the trucks, and Lorelai and Rory were left with piles and piles of cardboard surrounding them.  
  
"Where do we start?" Rory asked, looking around at the heaps of brown cubes.   
  
"Uh, scissors, scissors," Lorelai repeated as she romped through the house.  
  
"You mean these things?" Rory yelled out to the air as she pulled them from a drawer.  
  
"Those must be them," Lorelai said when she returned, and held out her palm.  
  
"Uh-uh. You can't be trusted with sharp objects when there are shoes involved. I'll handle all things pointy, OK?"  
  
"Fine," Lorelai answered. "Just hurry up! Open this box first," she continued, pointing her perfectly manicured finger in the direction of a box that had "Lorelai's Shoes: Black, Red and Brown".  
  
"OK, OK," Rory muttered, as she opened the scissors and cut open the packing tape. Lorelai ripped open the box to find her favorite black pumps sitting right on top of the pile. Grabbing them, she kicked off her brand new fuzzy slippers and put the shoes on.  
  
"Oh, they're so *beautiful*," she exclaimed, staring at the shoes in admiration.  
  
"Uh, ok," Rory said, and moved toward the next box. "My turn," she split the brown packaging on the "Rory's Books: Author's A-J" carton.  
  
For the remainder of the afternoon, and into the evening, box after box was opened and half unpacked. Books and clothes were strewn across their expansive living room, and anything feathery you could possibly think of was hanging over the cardboard edges.  
  
"Well, now that we've gotten that settled, it's time to think about--" Lorelai started.  
  
"Don't even say it," Rory intervened at the same time that Lorelai finished her sentence with the word "school".  
  
"Oh, come on Ror, the new school year starts in nine days. I've already registered you in Stars Hollow High".  
  
"Stars Hollow High? How original," Rory snickered.  
  
"How about we'll talk about school later. For now, I want to go change and then grab a bite to eat. We're running low on food in the fridge," Lorelai said.  
  
"'We're running low on food'...something I never thought I'd hear you say," Rory shot back, smiling.  
  
"Yes, well, our dear friend Sookie--"  
  
"Don't you mean Sookie!" Rory said the final word with emphasis.  
  
Lorelai laughed, "Yes, Sookie! did a good job of filling our kitchen, but all good things must come to an end."  
  
********  
  
Forty-five minutes later, both girls had emerged from their bedrooms, completely revamped from head to toe. Lorelai's hair had been curled, and she adorned a crimson suede skirt and a city-sophisticate black top. Rory, on the other hand, had taken the slightly more casual route. A messy ponytail sat atop her head, a summery tank top and studded jeans completed the look.  
  
"You wearing that to a dinner in this town? Where are we going?" Rory asked her mom.  
  
"What, too much?" Lorelai answered, making her way into the kitchen and pulling a phone book from one of the drawers.   
  
"Look under 'Chinese food'," Lorelai said as she settled back into her chair and tossed the yellow book in Rory's direction.   
  
Rory scanned a few pages, and came to the section. "Here we go," she said. "The first one listed here is Al's Pancake World."  
  
"Al's Pancake World? No, I said Chinese food. You know, rice, chopsticks, cute little white cartons?"  
  
"Yeah, here it says that Al's has "The Best Egg Fu Yung in Stars Hollow". Wow, I'll bet they cater to a full house every night with that kind of slogan." Rory said sarcastically.  
  
"Uh, I don't like the idea of eating sweet-n-sour chicken in a restaurant that houses a waffle maker..." Lorelai trailed off.  
  
Rory looked over the rest of the page, "That's the only place that serves Chinese food in Stars Hollow."  
  
"Ok, well, then Al's it is."  
  
********  
  
The pair was walking through the main part of town some time later. They were going home after a meal at Al's (which, in case anyone wants to know, really does have the best egg fu yung), and they passed a cute little place smack dab in the center of Stars Hollow.   
  
"Luke's Diner. Good Food." Lorelai said, reading the words posted in yellow on the diner's window.   
  
"Oh, I'm so proud. Look at you, reading words with more than one syllable," Rory responded. "Let's check it out."  
  
"But we just ate."  
  
"Lorelai Gilmore, refusing food? Are you sick? Tired?"  
  
"Hungry," the elder answered, and made her way to the door.  
  
They walked in, and a homey little jingle announced their entrance. The diner was small but well kept, and they found a seat in the corner.  
  
A scruffy man wearing a backwards baseball cap walked over with two shiny menus.   
  
"Wow, Stars Hollow has it's own fashion plate," Lorelai commented on his faded red flannel shirt.  
  
"You're new here," was his reply.  
  
"You're observant too," Lorelai answered. "How'd you know?"  
  
"Just a guess," he said. "I'm Luke Danes".  
  
"Luke? As in, the Luke of Luke's Diner?" Rory asked.  
  
"The one and only."  
  
"Wow, you're practically royalty in this town, aren't you?" Lorelai teased.  
  
"Heh. Far from it. Anyone looked down upon in Taylor's Doosey's eyes isn't anything higher than a lowly servant."  
  
"Taylor..."  
  
"Doosey," Luke finished the sentence. "You'll find out who he is within no time. No, I'm just the town's coffee supplier."  
  
"Coffee supplier? Wow, that's *better* than royalty." Lorelai said.  
  
"Can we have some?" Rory asked, perusing over the rest of the menu. "And a double cheeseburger."  
  
"Two double cheeseburgers," Lorelai contributed.  
  
"Do you want the coffee small, medium--"  
  
"Venti size, if possible." Lorelai interrupted.  
  
"Oh, we have some cultured coffee drinkers here, eh? How about an extra large?"  
  
"Extra large would be fine, thank you."  
  
"Ok, two extra large coffees and double cheeseburgers." Luke wrote the order down on his pad, and walked away.  
  
********  
  
Several minutes later, a young boy approached the table with their order. He looked about Rory's age, and when he saw who he was serving, he greeted them with a large smile.  
  
"Two coffees," he said, putting the large mugs on the table, "and two cheeseburgers."  
  
"Thank you," Rory said, giving the teenager a long look. Looking a little embarrassed, he walked away from the two girls.  
  
"I hope all the guys in Stars Hollow look like that," she said to her mother. "This hick town might not be so bad after all."  
  
"Maybe not..." Lorelai said, fixing her stare on Luke Danes, who was busy arguing with a skinny man demanding that his peanut butter and jelly sandwich be cut into triangles.  
  
********  
  
After an hour or so, the girls had filled themselves to the brim with coffee refills, and were ready to head back to the mansion they called their home.  
  
The boy came over the Gilmore's table, and asked, "Another refill?"  
  
"Uh, no, but thanks anyway...um..." Lorelai began.  
  
"My name's Jess," he filled in for her.  
  
"Jess. Cool." Rory said, testing the name on her tongue. She liked it.  
  
Jess turned slightly pink at the tips of his ears. "Thanks," he said, and made a boldly un-Jess move in continuing with "And you would be..."  
  
"Rory, and this is my mom, Lorelai." she said.  
  
Jess returned the compliments, and then, left without words, started to turn and leave the table.  
  
"Wait!" Rory said, not letting him get a chance to run away too fast. "I've been looking for someone to show me around the town. You know, sort of a 'personal tour guide'. Would you be willing to take the job?"  
  
"Sure," Jess said, trying to be as nonchalant about it as possible. "When?"  
  
"Right now?" Rory asked.  
  
"Uh, yeah, I guess," he smiled at her, and she smiled back. "Uncle Luke!"  
  
Luke looked up from the cash register and raised his eyebrows in acknowledgment.  
  
"I'm gonna show Rory around Stars Hollow, ok?" After receiving a nod, he turned towards Rory. "Let's go," he said, heading towards the door.  
  
"See ya later," she said to her mom, who nodded as well.  
  
Lorelai stood up, pulled some bills from her purse, and walked to the counter. Placing the money on the counter, she looked up, and her eyes met with Luke's.  
  
"Thanks, coffee boy," she said to him, winking.   
  
"No problem..." he started, and when he realized she never offered her name, he finished with "mystery woman".  
  
"Lorelai," she spoke up, prolonging the conversation.  
  
"Huh?" Luke answered, confused at the three syllables she'd offered him.  
  
"Lorelai, that's my name."  
  
"Oh, sorry 'bout that. It's pretty," he complimented, obviously embarrassed.  
  
"Thanks," she said, and started walking away. After a few steps, she made an about face, and said, "I have a feeling we'll be seeing a lot of each other, Luke Danes."  
  
With that, she left the diner, leaving Luke to goggle at her departing silhouette in the shadows of the dimming sun.  
  
  
A/N: Thanks to all of you who reviewed my first chapter. I listened to some of your suggestions, and hopefully I addressed them to your liking. Next chapter will go a little more into Jess, his personality, and how he ends up with Luke. 


	3. Three 3 Three

Title: NY State of Mind  
  
Author: Doublemint Mystique  
  
Rating: PG  
  
Summary: AU. 16-year-old city girl Rory meets private-schooler Jess when she's forced to move to Stars Hollow.  
  
Pairing: R/J  
  
Comments: celticrockstar@bolt.com  
  
Disclaimer: I own the story, nothing else.  
  
Authors Note: Sorry for the long wait. I have abandoned the story, but figured I should at least put up the part of chapter three that I had written. Thank you all for your kind reviews and encouragement, but I've grown tired of the story. If anyone else wishes to pick it up from here, be my guest, just email me and let me know so I can read your continuation. Thanks again for everything, and hopefully you'll see me around posting more stuff soon.  
  
Chapter Three  
  
"Want some?" Rory asked Jess, offering him a tin of cinnamon Altoids.  
  
"Some? I'll have one, maybe," Jess answered, taking a red mint from the box.  
  
"What, too curiously strong for you? Take a walk on the wild side, Jess, and have two at a time," Rory teased. To prove her point, she took four mints and popped them all into her mouth at once.  
  
"So, what brings you to the quaint little hamlet that is Stars Hollow?" Jess inquired, fiddling with the zipper of his jacket.   
  
"My mom got a new job," was all she could get out, what with all the mints she was juggling around inside her mouth. She paused, and then resumed, "Not very exciting, I know."  
  
"Trust me, nothing in Stars Hollow is exciting," he replied. "Well, I shouldn't say that. Last week at the town meeting there was a vote to have a Sock Hop...but that's about as good as it's gonna get."  
  
"Wow," Rory answered, amazed at how this town had already come across as primitive, and she'd only lived there for a few days. "Lived," she thought. It still hadn't sunk in that tonight she wouldn't be going home to her apartment, she wouldn't be climbing the thousands of steps to her floor, she wouldn't be greeted by the doorman as she stepped through the threshold of her building. "Get it in your head, Gilmore," she thought to herself, "you can't fill in the address field with New York, New York anymore."  
  
"I'll bet the daily drug heists and all that jazz in the city can't compare to a good old fashioned Sock Hop," Jess commented, embarrassed that his town had absolutely nothing to offer except for...great. He couldn't think of anything that Stars Hollow had to satisfy the sophisticated appetite of this pleasant stranger.  
  
Rory laughed, and started on a new topic, "So, what school do you go to?"  
  
"Chilton. It's a prep school near Hartford," Jess answered, trying not to seem too boastful.  
  
"Oh, we have a smarty on our hands, huh? Where are those not gifted with brains forced to go at ungodly hours of the morning?"  
  
"Stars Hollow High," Jess said bluntly.   
  
"Sounds intriguing. Let me guess, the school rugby team won States last year?"  
  
"Hey, we're not *that* far off the map," he said grinning.  
  
"Ok, ok. So what can you tell me about it?"  
  
"About what?" Jess asked, trying hard to keep up with the fast-talking Rory.  
  
"Stars Hollow High. Cute guys? Suffocating cliques of blonde dimwits? Jocks who stuff unsuspecting freshmen into lockers they shouldn't possibly be able to fit into?"  
  
"Uh, I'm not sure. I never went there..." he trailed off.  
  
"Oh, ok, gotcha. Moving on. Hmm..." Rory answered, searching for something else to talk about. She looked up to the sky, hoping the fluffly white clouds would give her an answer. "So, how'd you end up here?"  
  
"Long story. You'd probably be bored out of your mind," Jess said, shuffling his feet as he walked. Personal conversations were never really his thing. Get him started on how the Hartford Whalers never should have moved to Carolina, and he'd talk for hours, but once the topic turned to something involving his own life, he shut up like a school-aged girl who just encountered her crush at the McDonald's around the corner.  
  
Rory stopped walking and turned to look at him. "Try me," was all she said.  
  
"Well, ok, if you really want to hear it," Jess voiced reluctantly. "My mom wasn't married when I was born. She picked up someone along the lines of Wacko Jacko at a bizarre Italian Pride festival. Bam, she's pregnant, and her knight in shining armor left no forwarding address."  
  
"Ohhh..." Rory said, stretching out the word in order to increase the effect of showing interest.   
  
"So my mom moved in with my uncle, because, you know, he's the budding entrepreneur of the family, opening up a diner in hardware store..."  
  
"Pure genius," Rory commented.   
  
"This is Kim's Antiques," Jess said abruptly, as they approached a large barn sort of building. He'd talked about himself for all of two minutes, but that was already making him uncomfortable. "Mrs. Kim is the toughest Korean cookie you will *ever* run into."  
  
"Is that so?" Rory said, skeptical.   
  
"I'd bet my life on it," Jess said humorously....  
  
.::.  
  
And that is where I stopped. I've had this typed up for a few months, hoping I'd go back to it, but my interest in the story is gone. Ok, so, review away, and sorry I couldn't finish it! 


End file.
